South African Plastics Pact

The South African Plastics Pact has been launched.

Developed by the WWF and South African Plastics Recyclers Organisation (SAPRO) and supported by UK-based global environmental NGO WRAP, the initiative brings together stakeholders from the local plastics value chain, including businesses, government and NGOs to address plastics waste and pollution.

According to the website, the pact is a platform to ‘stimulate industry-led innovation, dialogue and collaboration, with a focus on packaging, to create new business models and generate job opportunities, and a move towards a circular economy for plastic’ in line with ‘global commitments but tailored to the South African context’.

Led by GreenCape, the pact works towards the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy targets for 2025. The South African Plastics Pact is the first on the African continent and joins a global network that includes the UK, France, Chile and the Netherlands.

Stakeholders are required to commit to a set of four targets, namely to tackle problematic/unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or other delivery models; to ensure 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable; to ensure 70% of plastic packaging is effectively recycled; and to ensure a 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.

Members of the pact include Clicks Group, Distell, Nampak Rigids, Pick n Pay, Shoprite Group, Spar, Tigerbrands, Tuffy, Unilever, Addis, Woolworths and Coca-Cola Africa.